Author Note: Crack fiction ideas for the win. I wanted to do something a bit different and out of my normal wheelhouse, so this became a random idea in my head, and I wanted to go with it. Probably a one-shot but perhaps not depending on how I feel with it. Character's likely to be ooc since I don't know a ton about RE – it's definitely not something I have as much familiarity with as many of my fandoms. I also plan to write it largely as a stream of consciousness sort of write. Only pausing when I need specific details. Thus, most of what you'll be reading is straight rough draft. I do this to relax and have fun, since I otherwise write for work constantly (thus why this is much laxer). This is likely to have darker themes than most of my other fics, as it's for fun but also as a bit of a writing exercise to see how I do in a different-ish genre than usual. It will start out fairly tame (I think) but won't stay that way.

Disclaimer: This fiction is purely for entertainment purposes. The writer does not expect nor plan to make any money from this and nor should anyone else – that's illegal.

Synopsis: Dropped into the middle of mountainous forests plagued with strange monsters, Kagome discovers her work as a purifier is never done. What does one do when they're a world away from home, trapped in a city doomed to fall victim, particularly when they gain the interest of a villainous mastermind that could rival Naraku? Kagome/Wesker. M for adult content/gore/dark themes in general.

Story: Quicken, Question, Quantify

Chapter One: Limbo

"L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs" (Translated: "Hell is full of good intentions or desires.")

-Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

July 12th, 1998 – Racoon City Outskirts:

What the hell?

What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!

Run!

…don't stop…

…don't turn around, that'll slow you down…

My breath came in swift gasps, seeking air to fuel the furious activity of my body. My legs burned almost as much as my lungs, but I kept moving despite the strain. My ankle hit a divot in the earth and bent sideways. It stung, and I knew as I kept moving, I was a little slower. I'd picked up a limp, but adrenaline allowed me to push through the pain without giving it much thought. There was fluorescent light this way, perhaps something other than this god-forsaken forest I'd climbed into. I didn't let myself have even a moment of pause until I'd reached the illumination I'd been retreated toward.

Where was I? Not the feudal era. The road I'd gotten to was modern. The streetlights parallel to it illuminating the yellow lines painted on the surface of the concrete. I could hear snaps of branches behind me after my haphazard rush through the unfamiliar shadowed forest, a reminder I couldn't stop. I didn't have time to try and figure out what was the correct direction, hoping I was going to outpace the danger.

Think Kagome…

Difficult when you're running, particularly when you are out of air and in pain.

Where am I? What happened with Naraku and the jewel?

Backpack, I still have my backpack.

That changed the game. I paused near a tree, my lower leg already starting to swell where I'd likely sprained it in my terrified run. I dug into the yellow bag and gripped the bow I was seeking, drawing it out of the bag and looking behind me. Nothing was there yet, but I knew something was beyond what I could see. Something sinister…

I knew I wasn't at the shrine when I'd climbed out of the well to starlight overhead, at first, I thought I'd just ended up back in the feudal era somewhere as there had been a cabin nearby. I'd knocked, but what I found beyond the slightly open door wasn't people. Their eyes had lacked focus, they possessed wounds that couldn't have been survived but they still moved. Flickers of miasma had poured from them instead of blood. They'd tried to attack me, but I'd fled. I coughed as I fought to catch my breath, eyes widening when the first of the group caught up to where I'd taken a short break.

The bodies lumbered slowly forward, jerking or twitching as they slowly came for me. Dark undulating tendrils of miasma leaked from their mouths as well as the open injuries, fading before they hit the grass. I'd seen something like this before…with Soun'ga, but this was different. This was in a different time than the feudal era, and she'd seen the vision of what would happen had Soun'ga been released here. Even with that in mind she let out a small hiss of frustration as she aimed at the first of several of the monsters coming at her. They weren't a mass of skeletons. They looked like a small family group, one of them was probably around her age. Instead of armor they had on jeans and flannel, they still had enough flesh to make out features. They weren't some long dead army, they had been reanimated, but it was recent.

I scowled, pulling up my bow and calling energy into my fingertips that focused into the shape of an arrow, pulling it back as I focused on the first one headed my way.

"I'm sorry." I apologized before I let the arrow fly, watching the projectile of light shoot through the creature, eating away at the poisonous shadows and leaving only a shell to fall to the ground. Two more flickers of light and I lowered my hand, leaning my head back on the tree. The three were the only ones I'd seen, and I didn't feel the vague current in the air that came with having miasma nearby. The hum of an engine got my attention and I stumbled toward the road, waving my hands. Whoever was in the car was likely to have their facilities since I doubted whatever happened to that poor family left them capable of operating a vehicle.

Thankfully, the car slowed, then came to a stop nearby. I limped closer as the driver's door opened and furrowed my brow at the blonde man that walked my way. He was taller than me, that was immediately obvious. Muscular judging from the way the navy blue shirt beneath the cop vest fit. There was an emblem on the left shoulder that had the logo "S.T.A.R.S" and looked official. A gun was holstered at his right hip as well as a gun over his shoulder. Lots of ammunition pockets in the vest looked full. He had a headset on larger than most I'd seen lately on policemen, and despite the dark evening sunglasses covered his eyes.

"Hello. You all right, miss?" He raised a brow sharply after noting my bow. English? I'd gotten decent grades in the class but I didn't speak it overly well. What could I even say to that?

"My ankle…I think I sprained it." I started with what I knew to be true. I could build from there. I was lucky I even remembered the word for ankle.

"You out here alone?" He glanced along behind me. Hopefully the grass was tall enough that far off the road he couldn't see the bodies… "Miss…?"

"Higurashi, I'm Kagome Higurashi." I replied, not seeing a reason to lie about my name. "I'm lucky you are here. I got lost. I'm not from here."

I think I was mostly getting the English right. It was a bit easier than I remembered.

"You don't sound it. Come on, let's get you sitting down, and we'll look at that leg." He offered an arm after gesturing to the other side of the car. Not having much of a better option I took it and hobbled over to sit after he helped with the door.

"Definitely swollen. Can you take your shoe off, or would you like me to cut the laces?" He asked, professional. I reached down though to do it myself, wincing when I pulled it off, but I wasn't willing to give up anything right now. I didn't even know where I was, I needed what I had. "Why were you walking out here? The trails have been closed off."

"I don't read English that well." I lied, not sure what other excuse I could give. Hissing and wincing again when he turned my foot to test motion. "Ow."

"You look like you were running through the woods, your hair and clothes are quite disheveled." He pointed out, reaching up to pluck a small twig from my hair to accent that I wasn't just out for a pleasant walk. "Did something scare you?"

Fuck yes.

"A little. I thought I heard an animal, then saw something move so I ran…that's when I caught my ankle." I explained, it wasn't a total lie. Those things weren't human, and I'd seen them move.

"I see." He remarked, and I couldn't tell if he bought my story or not. I couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses and his face gave away nothing. "You know, we're pretty far out from the city, if you started there it had to have been a long time you've been outside. How long have you been lost?"

"Feels like forever." I didn't have to fake the moisture that gathered in my eyes. I still couldn't really remember it all, what had happened or how I'd ended up here instead of home after the battle with Naraku. Now that the danger had passed the throbbing from my leg was more prominent. I winced again when he moved it slightly still testing what I could do. He was being gentle, but it still hurt.

"Can you move your toes?" He asked, and I complied by wiggling them, that at least, didn't invoke the same shooting pain. "Yeah, probably sprained. It doesn't look dislocated, so I'll put on a temporary splint and take you to the hospital. You'll probably still want an x-ray in case there is a minor fracture. Give me a moment to radio this in."

I only nodded. I couldn't refuse. I heard him talking to some other indiscernible voices but wasn't listening. This wasn't the best situation. If I was in America, I didn't have a passport. The only identification I possessed was my student ID, and that was in Japanese…what could I even do? It wasn't like I'd be on record of having a visa even if tried to lie about losing my information. This was a bad thing. I needed to let him drop me off and avoid the cops. The way American's were about outsiders I could only imagine how quick they'd want to arrest me for being here illegally.

The blonde returned from the trunk, apparently having made his call quick. He had a small first aid box and a brace. He bent down to start adjusting the brace and I glanced away, not wanting to look at it. I knew I'd heal fast, but I wished I hadn't been so clumsy. "You are lucky. We've had reports of some sort of cult in this area kidnapping hikers. It's why the trails are shut down."

"Cult?" I echoed. Is that what people thought the monsters were? That was dangerous.

"They haven't been caught, but people keep disappearing. It's why we're patrolling this area. You think what you saw could have been people? That would narrow down where we need to search." He asked. I shook my head negatively. I didn't want to put him in danger, even with his loads of bullets he wouldn't stand a chance compared to what I could do with my priestess magic.

"No, I am pretty sure it was an animal." I lied.

"I see." He tightened the brace and I gripped the handle above the side of the door, hissing in pain again at the gesture. That hadn't been nearly as gentle. Did he suspect I wasn't being honest?

He opened the first aid kit, taking a bottle out before the smell of alcohol tickled my nose. I turned my head to sneeze at the change of aroma then jumped when a wet cloth was set on my arm and started burning my skin. If his grip wasn't so strong, I'd have pulled away from it. "Your wounds should be cleaned."

"Yeah, but you should warn someone first." I knew I sounded snippy, but what the hell. Who didn't let someone know they were gonna do that? "I can't see really well out here."

"Apologies." The single muttered word did not sound genuine, if anything there was an amused tint that had entered his otherwise serious tone. "You have a few more scrapes I can see. If you don't mind me tending those, I'll take you to the hospital after."

"That's fine." I sighed. "You can clean them, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, you seem to have had an eventful night." He stated, continuing to bandage my arm. I must have rubbed it along some bark while I was fleeing because it had gotten quite the nasty scrape. He helped with another one on my opposite arm and then one on the back of my hand. Those were both smaller, so the sting wasn't quite as bad as the first. He worked quietly, efficiently. How he could see me to do so I wasn't sure, particularly with those sunglasses on too. There was a little ambient light from the dimmed headlights, but I couldn't even make out most of the area.

"What's your name?" I realized he'd never given it, and it wasn't on his uniform.

"Officer Wesker, at your service." He remarked, finishing with the bandages and putting the supplies back into the box. "Please put your seatbelt on Miss Higurashi."

I stared quietly a moment before deciphering what he meant, putting both legs in the car and reaching for the belt. After he put away the kit he returned to the driver's seat. None too soon, as I felt another disturbance in the air. There were more of those creatures out here, I was sure of it. I glanced to the woods, nervously as he adjusted his own seat to prepare to drive.

"Something wrong?" He asked when the click of his belt made me jump out of my search for monsters.

"Just still a little nervous." I replied, not wanting to get into details. "Thank you, for the help."

"Of course, this is my job." He answered, turning the car around and heading back the way he'd first driven up. "We'll get you patched up, Miss Higuarshi."

He was very polite, but his baritone had a bored, if professional, quality to it other than the small moments he seemed to be laughing at her – internally anyway.

"May I ask why you have a bow?" He remarked as he followed the highway. I could see some lights in the distance, the local city larger than I expected.

"I thought I might hunt something while I was out." I knew that sounded fishy as hell the moment after I said it. The sidelong glance I was offered didn't help. Why did his sunglasses even cover the sides of his eyes? Were they just that sensitive?

"Not a lot of bow hunters at your age, where are your arrows?" He entertained my excuse for the time being, I doubt he bought that.

"I must have dropped my quiver running away." I replied. I could hardly say I didn't need arrows and I could create them with my mystical abilities. I'd end up in a psychiatric ward.

"We'll canvas the area tomorrow once it's light, if it's found I'll let you know." He took a turn on one of the highways. There were many more lights around us. A gas station and a couple fast food joints. It was all in English so I couldn't pick out many names, but the words were obviously the western alphabet. "I'll need to get your contact information once you're settled at the hospital."

Shit. That I didn't need. I'd have to get what help I could and try to sneak away when he was busy on the phone or something.

"I'm not that worried about it." I shrugged. "I'm just glad someone was out there and found me. I doubt I could have walked back all this way. Thank you, again."

He shrugged, not commenting on my gratitude. I didn't mind the quiet though. I could consider what had happened to me. Obviously, the horrible monsters after I climbed out here, but what before then? We'd fought Naraku, then I'd been in the dark of the jewel. How long I wasn't sure. I knew it felt like an eternity it had trapped me, hoping I'd continue the cycle of its negative existence. I'd wished it away, but when I did, I thought I'd come back to Japan in my time. Not America. Not to some strange city where monsters were wandering the woods. Had Soun'ga ended up here somehow?

I didn't think so, they didn't have the same feeling as those summoned by the Hell Sword. It didn't seem as if they were being controlled. There was something else festering here…beneath the surface of this place like a mold that had taken root in the floorboards. Was that why I was here? Did I need to fix something here to move on?

"Miss Higurashi." My name drew me out of my musings, and I glanced up to the blonde from my lap. We'd not only arrived but he'd gotten out of the car and opened my door. "Are you sure your ankle is all you injured? Did you fall when you were in the woods?"

My fist instinct was to say I know what happened to me, but if he already thought it could be something else…

"Maybe." I stated, wanting to keep the air of uncertainty. "I was rushing, I didn't think so, but I could have."

He had brought a small wheelchair over and offered an arm again to help me shift my weight, so I took it. Glad for the help of something strong enough to help keep me steady while I avoided putting one of my feet down. I let him wheel me into the hospital, squinting at the sudden change to bright light and white walls. It probably was worse for him, but he didn't react. Walking me up to the front.

"Miss Smith, would you be kind enough to push this young lady ahead. I found her along the highway and I'm not sure if she's suffering from dehydration." He called the receptionist by name and the lady jumped to react when he started giving directions.

"Captain Wesker, you should have called ahead." She stated. She had a small blush on her cheeks as she stood to look at me over the counter. "What's your name?"

"Kagome Higurashi." He answered for me, and he even repeated my name without messing it up. I hadn't met many American's, but he was the first that managed to not butcher the pronunciation the first time.

"Any prior medical history?" I couldn't help but smirk a little at the question. For all of grandpa's lies I'd spent very little time in the hospital.

"I'm usually very healthy." I stated, seeing no reason to lie about it here. I doubted they were going to be asking grandpa about his various excuses.

"Any family history of problems or allergies to medicines?" She asked, all of it sounded standard.

"No, and no." I replied.

"Okay, we'll need you to fill out a couple forms, but we can get you back and get you started on fluids first." The nurse said, writing a few things down. "Head on back, Captain."

"Captain?" I asked. That's not what he'd said.

"I'm in charge of my unit." He stated, wheeling me into a small area separated by curtains and moving to get bags and other equipment.

"You're trained in this too?" I had to admit I was curious. He'd brought me right back here despite the group of people in the waiting room and now he was gathering the IV supplies.

"I know how to set up an IV yes, it's a part of the training we do for S.T.A.R.S." He explained, hanging the bag off the pole he'd pulled over. "It's busy, who knows when they would get to you, unless you'd rather wait."

"No, it's fine." I shrugged at him. I'd had much worse forms of health care when I was wandering all around the feudal era. If he said he knew what he was doing, I had no reason to doubt him. "I was just curious."

"Do you have an arm that's better suited to an IV?" He asked, I stared at him blankly until he held up the needle. Ugh. I shook my head negatively and he took my arms, turning them to look at the inner elbows critically.

"Is something wrong with your eyes? Why do you keep those glasses on?" I blurted, a little embarrassed that he touched me so readily even if he was just doing medical care.

"I'm a little light sensitive." He remarked without looking up from my elbows. Apparently settling on the left as a moment later he tied a piece of rubber around it. "Make a fist, then pump your fingers a few times."

I listened, I'd donated blood once, so I guessed this was similar. He waited patiently for a vein to come closer to the surface of my skin. He did this with a practiced ease of a nurse that did this often, not someone that just did it occasionally for training. How often did he have to give people IV's?

It was a minor pinch and the needle was in. He added the tape that would keep it in place and wrapped it before continuing to flush it and then set up the drip.

"You've done this a lot." I wasn't asking this time.

"Yes." He agreed simply. "Now, paperwork. Fill these out."

He handed me the clipboard he'd gotten from the receptionist. I took it, but this was the part I didn't know about. I couldn't really list my address as in Japan. How did addresses in America work? Could I make one up? Not really, that might be worse. I could leave it off and say I don't have a place to live. Them assuming I'm homeless could be better than not having a passport. Then, they might still ask for an ID. I could, fill out most of the history since it was largely negative across the board. Mom didn't have many medical problems and I didn't know of any with dad, not that I knew much about dad in general.

"Okay…here." I handed him the papers back, annoyed that he immediately looked at them. Weren't there privacy practices in America?

"No address?" He perked that brow back at me.

"I don't have an address to give." I stated, which was true enough since my home was no where near here.

"You are homeless?" The brow didn't budge. "How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen." I saw no reason to lie about it.

"I see. You'll have a hard time on the streets with this sort of injury. I'll see if I can get you into the local women's shelter." He didn't seem as if he believed me but went along all the same.

"Okay, thank you." I did appreciate all the effort he was putting in for me. I would have liked to be able to tell the truth, but I knew no one here would believe me about the threats outside the city. I'd have to deal with it on my own.

"Let me call them." He replied. "X-Ray should be here in a minute."

He disappeared under the curtain, dialing on a flip phone. Who used a flip phone these days? Talk about old-fashioned. I went to get x-rays, which was sore and uncomfortable, but didn't last long. Then I was returned to my corner of the triage room. The officer that had been helping me was already waiting for me when we returned.

"Miss Higurashi," He nodded to me, waiting until the technician had settled me to speak again. "The women's shelter is full, though I feel a bit responsible. The next few days are supposed to be record breaking when it comes to heat. Would you like to recover in my home?"

"I don't want to impose." I said, honestly. Not that I was sure where I could go if the shelter was full. I didn't have American money…

"Just until you are back on your feet? If it's a sprain it would only be a few days." He replied, so I nodded slowly. It wasn't as though I couldn't take care of myself if he threatened me. I needed somewhere to recover so I could figure out more of what was going on, so it was hard to refuse his generosity.

"Okay, just until I get back on my feet." I agreed, a bit nervous at the half smile that twitched onto his face for a short moment. "Thank you, again. Seems I owe you."

"I'm sure I'll think of something you can do to make it up to me." He replied. I almost took it as a less than innocent comment before he added. "There's a lot to be done about the house."

Then I nodded to him. If he just wanted some help with chores for a place to stay, I couldn't argue that. I couldn't reply aloud, since the doctor walked in. He looked me over and confirmed it was a sprain, handing over a prescription for narcotics and instructions on how to treat the injured ankle. I was a little surprised they offered such a heavy pain killer for a sprain but didn't argue. Before long I was back in the car with the officer and we were driving up to a pharmacy.

So, I had an immediate plan. Recover, figure out what the hell was going on with where I was…the forms I'd filled out had said Racoon City but had lacked any state information. I wasn't sure where in America I was. I'd need to figure out where the well was that I'd crawled through, I wish I paid better attention to where I was. I couldn't leave yet, but I expected I'd need the well to travel if this was like the feudal era had been. I could be wrong though; I could just be stuck here.

I wasn't willing to consider that option yet. I had gotten here; I could get back. Even if I had to take a plane to Japan, I could get home. The logistics of paperwork would be a problem, but not impossible. I just wanted to fix whatever was wrong here first. Even if I didn't have my friends, I was capable. I'd removed the miasma around the ones I'd seen when I arrived, and I hadn't even had to try hard. I could probably do that to more if I had to. I knew I couldn't just leave them here; normal people wouldn't stand a chance.

A plastic bag landing in my lap was the pull from my thoughts this time. I blinked at it, the narcotics I'd been prescribed, he'd just went and gotten them for me. How much had that cost him? I didn't like that I already owed this person I barely knew so much. He handed me a water to boot before reaching for his seatbelt. "You should take some. It'll probably be most painful tomorrow."

"Thanks…" I knew I kept repeating that tonight. Still, at least I wouldn't have to try to dry swallow the pain medicine. That would be gross. I wasn't sure what else to say though as he started to drive again, and he wasn't exactly a chatty Kathy himself. I wanted to ask why he was helping me, but I knew that would sound paranoid. He was a cop, maybe he just wanted to help…but I wasn't totally convinced it was that naïve. I wasn't the kid that fell through the well for the first time four years ago, I'd seen too much to take this much aid at face value.

This wasn't the feudal era though, there weren't monsters everywhere, just a few in the woods I'd have to hunt down later. At least, I hoped that must be the case since I hadn't seen anyone talking as if there were monsters all over.

"I have a guest room, but it's on the second floor so I'll prepare the couch." He stated, turning off the highway into a neighborhood with larger homes than I would have expected.

"Do you have a family?" I asked.

"No, it's just me and my dog. You said you didn't have allergies, did that include animals?" He replied, offering a short glance but continuing to keep his attention largely on the road.

"I'm not allergic to any animals I know of. What kind of dog?" I asked.

"German Shepard. Fang, his name, used to be on the drug team, but they've since retired. I took him in after he left the force. Don't worry, he's well trained." He explained and I nodded.

"That's nice of you, adopting." I observed, trying to look over the large house he pulled into the garage of. It seemed much too large for one person. Then, I'd heard American's had a lot of space compared to Japan. By this place, that was a fact. The garage was larger than some studio apartments I'd seen in Tokyo. He exited the car and walked around, grabbing the crutches I'd been given before opening my door. I took the tool from him but just looked at them.

"You've never used crutches before I take it." He remarked, watching me stare at them like alien appendages had grown from my arms. "They can be tricky to get used to. Here."

I didn't expect him to lift me from the seat, squeaking lightly at the sudden shift of gravity, then starting and wincing at the loud smacks against the concrete where the crutches fell out of my grasp. Instead I'd dug my hands into his uniform, fingers grasping against the fabric nervously. I'd been carried many times but not when I wasn't supposed to put weight on one of my legs. That made it much more nerve wracking.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you." He reassured; voice entertained enough that I felt embarrassed by my reaction. He carried me toward the house, lowering my feet to dig out keys and open the door before picking them up again. He was strong, I'd gotten more accustomed to Inuyaha's demon infused strength, and I had come to think that normal men wouldn't compare. Not that this officer was average, it was clear he worked out to be in this sort of shape. He didn't struggle as he moved me to a couch on the lower floor. There was ambient lighting along strips near the ceiling, but it was still dark enough that I couldn't make out many details or colors. He walked with confidence, probably a mix of still being able to see well and it being his place. He set me down gingerly and grabbed a few throw pillows from other seating. The whole place looked expensive even in the dim lighting, well taken care of, clean. The clicks of claws on tile came a moment before a canine wagging it's tail and stiffing at her a moment before turning its attention back to the Captain who leaned down to pet the large dog.

"All right. Sit." He ordered, and the dog obeyed, staring at him intently. "I'll be right back, let me get some extra bedding."

The dog stayed where it was but looked after him until he left the room. Then sniffed at me curiously again. I held a hand toward him so he could sniff, letting him lick my hand once. I didn't want to try petting him since I didn't know how he might react. He seemed friendly enough, but I'd been more of a cat than a dog person. This dog was probably at least four times the size of Buyo, maybe more. If he was cool with me sharing his space, that was good enough for me. I leaned back, appreciating the soft cool leather of the couch. My thoughts were starting to drift.

I'd been a long time since I'd eaten, and I'd taken the narcotic before part of the drive. It was already kicking in since the throb had become more tolerable. It was nice that it was cool in here too, the humid heavy heat outside had been difficult even at night. I guessed it was summertime, which I guess meant I hadn't spent all that long wasting away inside the jewel. It'd been early summer when we went to fight Naraku. There was so much to think about, but I was exhausted after everything and then having taken a more powerful drug than I normally would I didn't have a chance at staying conscious. I'd drifted to sleep before I could think about anything else.

End Chapter

Kagome, no…stop falling asleep in the homes of villains, even if they act like stand-up dudes up front. There are reasons for Wesker's behavior that will come up next chapter. Which I will heading to fiddle with shortly since this is more a fun project I don't have to spend as much time editing and re-reading.

-Aura

Thanks for reading.